Saturday was so stressful! First, Michael was diagnosed with the influenza that has been going around all the schools. Then, we did some shopping (that was nice..) but then I had to bus back up the hill with the heavy bags coz Michael was biking up the hill. And when I got off the bus I realised that I'd left my handbag (with cellphone, important cards, and lots of recent payday money!) on the seat! Maybe a stressful occasion for anyone, but I was so stressed because I didn't know who to call or talk to, and how to say what I wanted to say in Japanese! This called for higher levels of Japanese language and comprehension than what I was used to.
Michael was so kind. Even though he was down with the flu, he chased the bus on his bike... but didn't manage to catch it. He even rode back down to the original stop in the town where I caught the bus, because suddenly I couldn't remember if I had my handbag on the bus or left it at the first bus stop!
I tried calling my cellphone a few times, but no one answered. Then, I ran down to the bus stop to catch the next bus driver, hoping that he could radio the bus that I'd left my handbag on. He gave me a phone number to call, so I ran home and called it. It was so difficult to speak in Japanese when I was in a panic. I couldn't think of the simplest words! And couldn't understand what the man on the phone was saying. In the end I understood enough to give him my phone number and he said he'd call me back in a few minutes.
In that time, I ran down to the bus stop again, thinking that maybe my bus did a 'round' and I could catch it on the way back down the hill. Well, it was the same number bus, but the driver told me "wrong bus!" and shut the door in my face and left in a hurry. When I got back home again, the phone was ringing, and it was the man in the office that I'd called earlier. This is what I gathered from my megre amount of Japanese: 1500yen, take a taxi to "Hirakata Shoten", and "bag=OK!".
I knew Hirakata was a place, so I looked up "Shoten" and found out it was a "garage" or "car shed". So, I went to the bus stop yet again... caught the bus down to central, caught a taxi, asked to go to Hirakata Shoten. I must have looked so worried in the taxi. The driver gave me 2 lollies. 20 minutes later, I was there. It was a central bus depot, and I managed to ask the taxi driver to wait for me while I collected my bag.
When I walked into the office, there were about 5 burly bus drivers sitting there in their uniforms, smoking. They stared at me as I walked in. One of them got up and dangled my wee handbag off his finger. "Is this it?"
Reunited! I was so happy. 
They got me to check inside my bag to make sure everything was there. It was. Luckily I'm living in one of the safest and most honest countries in the world! Whoo hoo also one of the most expensive! Cost me a good NZ$60 for the taxi ride to collect my bag and back home! Ah well. Expensive mistake, but could have been a lot worse.
Did I learn from my mistake??
Well, on monday I was just about to pay for my bus ride (we pay at the end) and thought, "hmm wasn't I carrying something before?" and walked back to my seat to check, and there was my book, sitting there all alone... think I'm gonna have to tie my things to my wrist if this keeps happening!
Funny, cos on the bus, there's an announcement that always says "don't forget your things!" at every stop. But I guess I got so used to hearing it that I forgot my things anyway...
